From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native times.

Major cities in the Merrimack Valley include Concord, Manchester and Nashua in New Hampshire, as well as Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill, in Massachusetts. The Merrimack Valley was a major center of the textile industry in America during the 19th century.

The Merrimack Valley area in Massachusetts is a community of towns and cities surrounding the Merrimack River along the New Hampshire border, a portion of which is defined by a line approximately 3 miles from the Merrimack. The cities (marked with italics) and towns in this area are:^[1]

The population of the region in 2010 was 631,477 residents, or slightly more than the city of Boston's at the time, and about one tenth of the state.

The Merrimack Valley contains a mixture of 19th-century industrial cities and mill complexes built to take advantage of the river's waterpower, modern suburbs (many built over towns dating from the 17th century), and some relatively rural areas. The western portion, including Greater Lowell and Haverhill/Lawrence/Methuen, is generally more urbanized than the eastern portion. The entire Merrimack Valley region within Massachusetts is a component of Greater Boston.

Automobile travel through the Massachusetts section of the Merrimack Valley is served primarily by Interstate 495. From Lowell and Lawrence, U.S. Route 3 and Interstate 93, respectively, head north along the valley, joining in Manchester, New Hampshire.